Refrigerating unit



June 20, 1933. RAMCLAU 1 1,915,165

REFRIGERATING UNIT Filed Oct. .16, 1930 ZShqets-Sheet. 1

. June 20, 1933. A RAMCLAU REFRIGERATING UNIT Filed Oct. 16, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

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Patented June 29, 1933 ARIEL EAHCMU, Q1 CHICAGQ, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNQR, BY ASSIGNMENTS, T0 ZONE, HICOREQMTQED, OFFCHICAGQ, ILLINQIS, A CGRPOMTIQN 0E DELAWARE PIEFRZGEMTING UNIT Application filed Uctober 16, 1930. serial IEO. 459,098.

This invention relates to improvements in refrigerating units.

In mechanical refrigerating units of the type used in homes, apartments, small stores and the like, it is highly desirable to have a compressor unit that is entirely free from exposed moving parts. The use of a unit of this kind eliminates the possibility oi injury to children, who may gain access to the compressor unit, and also prevent injury to the unit itself by such children. s

in refrigerators of this kind it 's advantageous to have the motor, the pump, and thecondensing coil formed as a unitary structure to whichthe piping leading to the expansion coil may be connected, the arrangement being advantageous for the reason that in the event, of trouble in either the motor or the pump the entire unit can be quickly and conveniently removed from the refrigerator and replaced by another while the faulty unit is being repaired. Repairs on a refrigerator unit of this kind can be most ad vantageously made in a shop where facilities are available, and a unitary construction of this kind renders such method of repairing possible of achievement.

Refrigerators used in homes and apartments necessarily must be quiet running devices so that their operation will not prove annoying to the housewife, and for thisreason the motor and pump must be of simple.

construction with a minimum of moving parts to enable operation of the device with a minimum noise.

Accordingly as an object of my invention 1 have provided afnew and improved sealed compressor unit containing a motor, a pump and a condenser formed as an integral replaceable unit which is completely sealed and which has all of its moving parts completely enclosed. A quantity of lubricating oil is sealed in the unit and provisions are made for the circulation of this oil through the unit so that the parts which are subject to wear by the operation of the device will be properly lubricated and thereby capable of operatingover long periods of time without attention.

My invention also provides a new and improved valve for compressor units of this type, a valve which'is quiet in its operation and at the same time eficient in the performance of its duty.

Now to acquaint those skilled in the art with'the teachings of my invention reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of it is shown by way of example and in -which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a completely assembled unit;

0 Figure 2 is an end view of the unit partly in section;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 33 of Figure '1 looking in the direction of the arrow. Y

Referring now to the drawings in more detail, the compressor unit comprises a me tall-ic casing 1 which is .generally cylindrical 1n shape and provided with a closed end 2 and with projecting feet 3 upon which the unit is supported when in use. The feet 3 are provided with suitable openings through which bolts or other attaching means may be extended tosecurely fasten the unit upon its support.

The external surface of the cylindrical casing member 1 is provided with a pluralityof upstanding ribs 4 which increase its surface area and thereby render it better able to dis sipate the heat that is generated in it. Preferably though not necessarily so the unit 1 is a metallic casting of brass, bronze or iron, machined down Where necessary to form proper surfaces for the devices contained in it.

The open end of the casing 1 is provided with a cover plate 6 which is seated thereon with a gasket 7 interposed therebetween to form a hermetically tight joint. The cover 6 is held on the casing 1 in any preferred manner such as by the bolts 8 extending through to the feet 3 and boss containing a centrally drilled hole 11. In the corresponding portion of the cover member -6 is a second inwardly projecting boss 12 also containing a drilled hole 13 which is aligned with the hole 11 in the 0 posite end of the closed cylinder formed y the casing 1 and the cover. A hollow metal-v lic shaft 14 is machined at 15 to fit in the opening 11 in the closed end of the casing, the shaft having a shoulder 16 which abuts against the inside edge 17 of the boss 10. The opposite end 18 of this shaft is machined to fit in the opening 13 through the cover 6 and threaded on its extreme end to receive a nut 19 by which the shaft is bolted in place. The end 15 is also threaded at 20 to receive the nut 21' which fits against the outside end of the closed portion 2 of the casing with a washer form a tight joint.

22 interposed therebetween to. form an air tight joint. Similarly the nut 19 is fitted against the outside face of the cover 6 with the washer 23 interposed therebetween to The shaft 14 is provided with a longitudinally extending hole 24 drilled through it from end to end and also with a plurality of radial holes 25 which are of smaller diameter and are located at points on the shaft that are to receivethe bearings of theunit. The bearing 26 is provided with a shoulder portion 27 which abuts against the surface 17 of the. boss 10. This bearin rotates over the shaft 14 and is lubricatedfin oil passing through the holes 25 in the shaft.

The second bearing member 28 is similarly provided with a shoulder 29 and with openmgs 30 which are brought into registration with the openings 25 in the shaft. This bearing 28 is rotated over the shaft 14 as will presently appear.. a Obviously the shaft 14 is incapable of being rotated since it is tightly bolted to the casing and cover of the unit, and the bearings 26 and 28 are intended to rotate with respect to the slfiaft.

' The rotating member of the unit also con sists of a sleeve 31 which is pressed over the outer surface of the bearings 26 and 28 and against their shoulders 27 and 29 respectively, this sleeve and the bearings are sli ped over the shaft prior to the placing o the cover 6 on the casing 1. In order to hold the rotating sleeve 31 against end play, a washer 32 is placed over the shaft a jaoent the shoulder 29 and the bearing 28 and lock nuts 33 and 34 are threaded onto the threaded portion 35' of the shaft to thereby push the bearing 28 longitudinally of the shaft until the roper amount of end play between the shoul ers 27 and 29 and the opposite ends of the sleeve 31 is achieved. Lock nut '34 is-then tightened to hold this adjustment. Preferably," -*though not necessarily so, the washer 32 is equipped with a pin 36 which projects into a socket or recess in the'nut 33 so that the washer cannot rotate with the bearing, to insure a free passagewayfor oil to the wearing parts of the mechanism as will presently appear.

The interior of the cylindrical cavity formed by the casing 1 and cover 6 is divided into two compartments by the conical wall members 40 and 41, with the rotating shaft 31 and stationary shaft 14 projecting concentrically through these conical members. As seen in Figure 3 the right-hand compartment thus formed is the motor compartment and contains an electric motor preferably of the squirrel cage induction type, this type being 'advanta eous since it is free from mechanical switc in better enabled to be operated in a com letely closed space, over a long period of time, without attention.

The motor consists of stator laminae 42 which are pressed into the casin 1 against the shoulder 43' and held therein in any preferred manner. These laminae are slotted to provide slots in which the coils 44 and 45 of the motor are placed. These coils interact electromagnetically with each other to produce a rotating field when they are energized by single phase alternating current, which current is conducted to them through conductors 46 which are extended into the casing through the bushing 47, which bushing is gasketed at 48 and held tightly in place by a nut 49 to insure a hermetic seal at the wire entrance to the motor. A suitable cover guard 50 is interposed over the outward end tively the disk 52 rubbing against the overturned flanged portion 54 of the conical dividing wall member 41' to form a fairly ti ht joint therebetween.

hese details of construction of the motor herein disclosed are given by way of example only as the objects of. my invention can be served by any of the many well known types of motors, the one shown and described being shown for purposes of illustration onl The rotating sleeve 31 as has been here-' inbefore pointed out projects into both compartments within the casing 1, and is provided with cams and 61 located in the second or crank case compartment of the casing. Preferably, though not necessarily so, these cams are formed integrally with the sleeve.

The pump illustrated is a two cylinder pum and consequently the 'cams 60 and 61 are posed 180 from eachother, this ildevices and from commutators and col ector rings and therebylustration of a two cylinder pump obvious ly being made by way of example only as any number of cylinders may be employed within the teachings of my invention.

The cylinders of the pump, as will be best seen in Figures 2 and 3, are supported in the flanged opening 9 in the casing, and consist of a T-shaped casting 62 which has a flanged portion 63 registering with the upper edge of the walls of the casing around the opening 9. The cylinders 64 and 65 are located in the main or downwardly depending portion 66 of this casting", and are disposed in lineand with their axes parallel.

The lower'end of the portion 66 of this casting is provided with a transverse slot 67 in which the pitman heads of the piston are disposed, and the walls of this slot 6? guide the pistons during their travel, particularly when the pistons are at and neartheir lowermost positions,

' The pistons 68 and 69 are cylindrical pis tons provided with squared projecting lugs 70 and 71 respectively to which the connecting rods 72and 73 are respectively connected by transverse pins T l and Z5. These pins are hollow and are provided with holes Y6 through which a pin, not shown, is projected to prevent them "from rotating with respect to their pistons The connecting rods 72 and Y3 are provided with oil holes 7? by which the bearing points of the hollow pins 7%; and 1 5 are lubricated The outer surfaces oi the squared lugs Y0 and ii hear against the walls of the slot 8? to guide the pistons,

The connecting: rod 72 is provided with a circular opening which registers with and tits over t e cam 66, and also provided with a downwardly depending linger or projection 81 which is employed to luhricate the pumping arrangement. Connecting rod 73 is similarly provided with a circular hole 82 in which the coin 61 hits and also with a tinger 83.

The cylinder plate 62 is provided with an inlet port 8% for the cylinder 64 and an inlet port 85 for the cylinder 85, these ports leading into the cranlr case formed in the casing 1. The upper surface of the cylinder casting 62 is machined fiat to receive the valve assembly 9-0, this consisting of a plate having outlet ports 91 and 92 located in it in registration with the cylinders of the pump. 'lhe upper suriace oi the plate is cut away adjacent these holes to form valve seats 93 and 94: and to form a loose 95 interposed midway between these two seats. The valve consists of a relatively soft ile iihle member 98 disposed on the boss 95 and overlying the valve seats 93 and 9 and a plurality of leaf springs 97 which are disposed above the valve member 96 and held thereon by washer 98 and the bolt 99, which is threaded into the hose 95.

The valve asseinhly is covered by a cover The cylinder block 62, the valve assembly 90 and the cover late 100 are provided with gaskets 102 whic formair tig ht joints, and

these plates are held on the casing 1 in any preferred manner such as by the bolts 103. The end wall 2 oi the casing 1 is provided with an inlet port into which is threaded the nipple 111 of the inletvalve 112. This valve forms no essential part of the present invention and may he any preferred type of valve rovided with a stern 113 hy the operation 0* which the valve can he closed to seal ed the port 110 when it is desired to do so. The cover plate 10-0 is provided with an outlet port 114 which communicates with the chamber 1G1 and into which is threaded the nipple 115 or the outlet valve i316, this outlet valve likewise forming no essential part of the present invention and therefore capable of being modified within the teachings of The outlet valve 11$ leads through the pipe 11? to the condenser indicated generally at 118. This condenser comprises a series oi loops 119 of the pipe ll? descending downwardly from that pipe and terminat ing in a drum or tanlr 120. These loops of pipe are supported by members 121 and are provided with a plurality of vanes 12:2 by which their external surfaces are increased and their ability to radiate heat therehy enlarged.

casing 1 hy bolts 124- and 125 which extend through opposite ends of a clamp member lQfi and which are threaded into the walls of the casing to thereby draw the drum tightly thereagainst. Suitable recesses 12'? in the ribs 4 of the casing l are provided to form a seating surface for the drum 120.

The pressure line from the compressor unit is led out of the drum 120 which is provided with a threaded nipple 128 to which such a line is connected in the operation of this pump, as the motor revolves and the sleeve Si is revolved thereby cams 60 and 61 working in the eonnecting rods 72 and 73 reciprocate the pistons 68 and 69 in their respective cylinders. When the piston 68 descends to its lowermost positionss shown in Figure 3, its upper surface falls below the opening of the port 8 1 into the cylinder, thereby establishing communication between the cylinder and the crank case of the pump. As the piston 68 descends the valve 93 is closed and conseqnently the cylinder is under reduced pressure so that gas in the crank case is drawn into the cylinder. The cranlr case is con nectecl through the inlet port 110 and the Mm The condenser 118 is mounted upon the valve 112 to the suction side oi the evaporator in the refrigerating compartment, and

downwardly so that vacuum is being created in the cylinder (35. When the piston 69 reaches the bottom of its stroke and the port 85 is opened permitting the suction in the cylinder to draw in gas from the crank case through the port 85, this gas to be compressed by the upward stroke of the piston during the next half revolution of the motor.

Lubrication of the moving parts of this unit is provided by a quantity of oil 140 sealed in the bottom of the crank case and into which the fingers 81 and 83 are dipped during their reciprocation by the cams and 61. Since these fingers are moving rapidly because the motor is making a considerable number of revolutions per minute, preferably about 1100, the reciprocation of the fingers in the oil causes that oil to be splashed over the entire inner surface of the crank case. Oil is thereby supplied to the ports 77 in the connecting rods and to the hollow cross pins 74 and 7 5 to lubricate those bearings, and is also splashed against the pistons themselves when they are in their lowermost position to thereby lubricate the cylinder walls.

The boss 10 is provided with a cup-like recess 141 located in its upper surface and communicating with the opening 142 which registers with an opening 143 in the shaft, which opening in turn registers with the central longitudinal hole 24 in this shaft. The recess 141 collects oil that is splashed up against the interior wall of the end 2 of the casing and conveys it to the duct 24 where it flows longitudinally and through the holes 25 in the shaft to the wearing surfaces of the bearings and they are therefore assured of proper lubrication. Since the nuts 19 and 21 are closed, oil can not escape from them and the supply 140 is therefore capable of lubricating the unit for a long period of time.

Owing to the splashing of the oil and the drawing of vapor through the crank case some oil will be mixed with the vapor and compressed and forced out of the pump therewith, this oil subsequently collecting in the evaporator of the refrigerator and being returned to the pump with the gas drawn therefrom through the suction line.

From the foregoing it will be seenthat I have provided a simple and compact -compressor unit in which the motor and pump are completely encased and sealed together with a suflicient supply of oil to properly lubricate the device for a long period of time. No moving parts are exposed .and because of the unitary natureof the structure it can be inserted in and removed from a refrigerator as a unit, thereby enabling repairs to be made on a refrigerator without shutting it down for along period of time.

The specific embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings has been shown by way of example and I am not to be limited thereby since there are many modifications and adaptations which can be made by one skilled in the art within the teachings of my invention.

Having thus complied with the statutes and shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, what I consider new and desire to have protected by Letters Patent is pointed out in'the appended claims.

What is'claimed is:

1. In a compressor unit of the class described, a sealed cylindrical casing, a stationary shaft concentrically'located in said casing and extending through the end walls thereof, said extending ends being threaded, nuts threaded on said shaft and bearing against the casing to lock and seal the shaft therein, bearings mounted upon said shaft, a sleeve concentrically supported upon said shaft by said bearings, a pair of cams formed integrally with said sleeve, a motor having a stator carried by said casing and a rotor carried by said sleeve, a pair of pistons reciprocated by said cams as said sleeve is rotated by said motor, and a pair of cylinders attached to said casing and in which said pistons traveL. I

2. A compressor unit of the class described comprising a cylindrical metallic casing closed at one of its ends, cooling fins pro jeeting from said casing, a cover plate closing the open end of said casing, a stationary hollow shaft centrally located in said casing, and extending through the closed end and cover plate thereof, means closing the ends of said shaft bearings mounted upon said shaft, a sleeve concentrically supported upon said shaft by said bearings, means for lubricating said bearings through said shaft, 2. pair of cams formed integrally with said sleeve, a motor having a stator carried by said casing and a rotor carried by said sleeve, a pair of pistons reciprocated by said cams as said sleeve is rotated by said motor, and a pair of cylinders attached to said casing and in which said pistons travel.

3. A compressor unit of the class described comprising a cylindrical metallic casing closed at one of its ends, cooling fins projecting from said casing, a. cover plate closing the open end of said casing, a hollow shaft'extending from said closed end to said cover plate centrally of said casing, said shaft having a plurality of holes extending radially through its walls, bearings mounted on said shalt, seid loesrings having radial holes registering with the holes on said shaft, a rotatable sleeve held concentrically on said shaft by said bearings, means on said shaft for adjusting the distance between said hearings to thereby adjust the longitudinal play of said shaft, 21 compartment in said casing containing a quantity of oil, means in said casin for roteting said sleeve, and means actuate by said sleeve for maintaining oil on said shaft to lubricate seid bearings.

at. A compressor unit of the class described comprising a sealed cylindrical casing hav- 1 ing s.- centrsll disposed hollow shaft running longitudinally of it, a well in said casing dividing it into two compartments, a motor in one of said compartments, the shaft of said motor consisting oi a sleeve surrounding and extending through said ccropcrtmc-ants there being holes in said shalt adjacent said cerris and motor cams disposed on said sleeve in the second of said compartmerits, cylinders opening into that commerclid . r. a v n 3' 2e nient nistons in said cylinders operstively connected to said cams, said second compartmerit conteining quantity of oil to lubricate said cylinders, pistons and cams directly and said sleeie endmotor tlirongli said elicit.

5; comressor of the class described esled contro is o elicit said casing dividing two compartments c, in one oi said compartments the ell-sit said motor comisting of e sleeve surrounding said extending through said comparis- :nenss said cei ing holes adjacent seid pom end root-or s pump disposed in the t i r of compartments, and links con neww to said and driven loy seid sleeve.

compartment containing as o seid links being reciproceted 1 seed oil furnish splash feed lnlori= w A sires r3 said pump end to said rector said slis'ft.

congsressor unit of the class described "3 cylindrical casing having c performed loose concentrically sold end end. projecting into ssid n? s concentrically located-in said css 1 extending through ssid oose noon the ends of? sold slisrt r on Shilfi e not threeded npcis leesring against the outer scrid to draw seid shoulder against o thereby locete the shells longi Elie cssing, cylinders carried by 31 listens in said cylinders, e sleeve c said shell; -lor rotation with re ereto ineens on said sleeve for res o ting seidpistons as motor stator fried rising 2, motor rotor fixed upon with seid. stator s cover: the eyes end of removably fixed in said opening to close the ssme,e stationary shaft fixed in the closed end oi said casing and projected therethrough and out of the closed end thereof, e sleeve journaled on said shaft, @pistonsfitted in said cylinder block, means on said sleeve for operating said pistons e shoulder in the inner Wall of said casing, a stator essembly registered with said shoulder and fixed thereagsinst a, shoulder on said sleeve, e rotor as sembly registered with said sleeve shoulder and fixed thereto, said rotor being registered with said stator to form 2, motor for driving said sleeve, means on said shaft ior adjusting the end plug of seidsleere, said rnesns being accessible from the open end of said casing, and a cover for ll e open end of said casing fixed therein to seal the casing,

In Witness whereof l" hereunto subscribe my nametliis 8 day of @cto oer, 1930c vfil RAMGLM l lrsll u CERTIFICATE or CORRECTION.

Patent Nor 1,915,165. a June 20, 1933.

AXEL 'RAMCLAU.

it is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 5, lines38 and 39, claim 5, strike out the words and comma "said shaft having holes adjacent said pump and motor," and insert the same after "compartments in line 40, of same ,claim; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office Signed and sealed this 15th day oi August, A. 1). i933.

, iii. 5. Moore. (S033) Aeting Commiesierier ef Patents 

